Question

In which direction would a force need to be exerted to make an object speed up?

A) In the same direction as the object's motion
B) In the opposite direction of the object's motion
C) Perpendicular to the object's motion
D) It depends on the object's mass

Answer 1

A force must be exerted in the same direction as the object's motion to make it speed up, and this is true regardless of the object's mass.

Step-by-step explanation:

To make an object speed up, a force needs to be exerted in the same direction as the object's motion. This is because acceleration, which is the rate of change of velocity, must be in the same direction as the force applied. When an object's acceleration is in the same direction of its motion, the object will indeed speed up. However, acceleration opposite the direction of motion will cause the object to slow down. It's also worth noting that an object's mass does not determine the direction in which the force must be applied to accelerate it. For an object in uniform circular motion, the centripetal force increases as the mass of the object increases if it is to maintain the same speed.